


Looking wet like a drown terrier

by elletromil



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 20:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4890355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry had foolishly thought that he would have the time for a quick walk with Mr. Pickle before the storm that had threatened all day to break finally did, but he had obviously miscalculate.</p><p>Fortunately, whatever deity looking out for dogs’ best interest was looking out for Mr. Pickle that day, because his by now brisk jog had led him directly in front of the King’s Dog Café.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Looking wet like a drown terrier

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Inclinant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inclinant/gifts).



> So once in a while secondarysushicorps and I will attack each other's askbox with fluff on tumblr. A few months ago she bombarded me with this amazingly cute idea of an Hartwin au where Eggsy was working at a Dog Café and she was nice enough to let me play with her idea, so this is the result.
> 
> The story is not beta'd, so sorry for all the mistakes that find their way in it.
> 
> Also please rest assured, no terrier was actually drowned for that story. It's just my lame attempt at humor.

Harry Hart swore under his breath when the first fat drops of rain started pouring from the dark clouds that had been covering the sky since early this morning.

He had foolishly thought that he would have the time for a quick walk with Mr. Pickle before the storm that had threatened all day to break finally did, but he had obviously miscalculate. What more, for some reason he had elected not to take his umbrella with him when he had left his house and even if he did scoop his canine companion in his arms so he could walk faster, the poor dog would still end up drenched in very little time. Harry as well of course, but it was only a just punishment for his own stupidity. Mr. Pickle did not deserves to pay for his owner’s mistake.

Fortunately, whatever deity looking out for dogs’ best interest was looking out for Mr. Pickle that day, because his by now brisk jog had led him directly in front of the King’s Dog Café.

He usually only went twice a week, every Tuesdays and Thursdays and always sat outside, but given the circumstances, he didn’t mind throwing his routines through the window and going inside on a Sunday afternoon.

Once inside, he stopped abruptly, unsure that the Café was actually opened now that he could see it was actually empty of both customers and waiters. He could not even see any of the Café’s dogs in the front, even if he knew that particular detail wasn’t any real indication.

“Hello?” he tried hesitantly, prepared to turn back if he received no answer. It did not matter that the door had been unlocked, if the establishment was closed, he had no business here, no matter how hard it was raining outside.

“One minute! I’m coming!” finally came a muffled cry from the back and Harry relaxed, but still stayed exactly where he was. He might have been lucky enough to avoid the worst of the downpour, but that didn’t meant he had escaped it dry and he didn’t want to drip water everywhere. Mr. Pickle himself was a bit wet and shivering against his chest, the poor dog.

A gorgeous young man finally walked in the Café, wearing the usual outfit of the King’s Dog’s employees, black trouser and a white shirt with an apron covered in multicolored dog’s paws. Harry had seen him a few times inside the shop, but since he was usually sitting at one of the table outside, he had never had any interaction with this particular waiter.

“Oh shite, you’re totally dripping wet, haven’t you ever heard of an umbrella bruv?” The young man, Eggsy judging by his nametag, blushed, probably ashamed by his outburst. “I’ll be right back with a towel, stay here!”

He snorted at the young man retreating back. He wasn’t planning on going anywhere, especially not when there was a sudden flash of light followed by a deep rumbling sound several seconds later. Only a fool would get out in a thunderstorm.

Eggsy was back in less than a minute with the promised towel, carefully avoiding to look at him. Nevertheless, he took the offered towel with gratitude and gently started rubbing Mr. Pickle with it, finally letting the terrier down on the floor once he was satisfied the dog wouldn’t leave dirty paw prints all over the floor of the shop. Then he started towelling his own hair, startled by the sound of surprise from the young man he had kind of forgotten was still at his side.

“Don’t you want another towel for that bruv? Your suit will be covered in dog’s hair.”

“Like usual then,” he smiled, amused by the concern.

“If you say so… Did you just came in to get out of the rain or do you want something?”

“Mostly to get out of the rain, but I’ll be ordering something as soon as I’m a bit less dripping.”

Eggsy nodded, finally leaving him alone to get back behind the counter where he started puttering around with the kettle, but keeping an eye out for the terrier sniffing around the shop.

“I can’t help but notice there’s no one here today… I hope you’re not closed?” He asked after a while, to break the somewhat uncomfortable silence.

“Ah no, we’re not. I think people have just been scared away by the rain. I’ve volunteered to stay to close the shop later and make sure the dogs are okay.” He got a cup from the little dishwasher hiding somewhere behind the counter and started pouring in sugar. “They’re all settled in the backstore, they don’t really like storms.”

There was another flash of light followed by a closer roll of thunder and a small whimpering sound coming from Eggsy. Harry, who had stepped closer to give the towel back and to order, looked at the young man with some surprise.

Eggsy didn’t notice the look, slowly petting a small shivering bulge at the front of his apron Harry had not seen at first. He only looked up when the water in the kettle started boiling, his cheeks reddening when he saw Harry’s eyebrows raised in interrogation.

“That’s JB,” he explained, motioning to the bulge and as if summoned by his name, a little head appeared over the edge of the pocket, the puppy hiding again at another roll of thunder.

“I take it he’s easily scared?”

“You have no idea. If I leave him with the others, he’ll whine all the time as if he’s getting murdered or something.” He added the water to the cup with the tea bag them waited a minute before adding a drop of milk before sliding the cup over to Harry. “Scones or cake today?”

Harry was speechless for a moment. Eggsy had of course prepared his tea exactly like he ordered it and he of course always ordered scones or a piece of carrot cake to go with it, but he had no idea why the young man would know this.

At Harry’s stunned silence Eggsy’s blush came back with a vengeance. “I mean, I think it’s what you usually take, right? I mean- It’s just that Roxy is often busy so I help her out with her orders and- I’m not like stalking you or anything, it’s just something I noticed and why can’t I just shut up?” Eggsy seemed seconds away from finding a way to get the ground to swallow him up, so it wasn’t such a stretch of imagination that if he hadn’t exactly been stalking Harry, he had probably paid him more attention than strictly necessary.

“Yes, I’ve seen you; you’re really helpful to all your coworkers, they’re lucky to have you.” The blush had spread to Eggsy’s ears, but at least he didn’t seem ready to bolt to the backroom any minute now, so Harry wasn’t so embarrassed to have revealed he had been watching him too. “I’ll take a piece of carrot cake please. And I was wondering if maybe you’d like to join me?” He hoped he wasn’t being too forward, but he wanted to know if there was more to the attraction he felt for the cheerful young man. “Feel free to refuse of course,” he added quickly when Eggsy had yet to answer anything after what seemed like an eternity, still looking at him gobsmacked. He cursed himself internally for putting the young man in such a delicate situation where refusing could lose him a customer. “Nevermind, it was an inappropriate suggestion, please forgive me.”

He took his cup and quickly made his way towards the table where Mr. Pickle had elected to curl under for a nap. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course the young man wouldn’t want to join him, he was probably old enough to be his father. Being an attentive waiter did not meant being interested.

As he was still berating himself silently, he was taken by surprised when two plates were set on the table a couple of minute later. He was even more surprised when Eggsy sat down in front of the second plate with a shy smile after getting JB out of the pocket and setting him on the floor near Mr. Pickle.

Another roll of thunder made JB yip pitifully, pressing closer to the terrier’s side. Mr. Pickle opened his eyes to take a look at what was disrupting his nap, but didn’t seem overly worried about finding that he now had a puppy snuggling him. He closed his eyes again, but not before curling around the scared puppy, which seemed to calm him down a little.

Harry and Eggsy both looked up at the same time, smiling at each other in amusement.

“You have a really well-behaved dog, Mr…” Eggsy let his sentence trailed off and Harry realised that if he had the advantage of knowing the other man’s name thanks to his nametag, Eggsy had no way of knowing his.

“Hart, but please call me Harry.” He smiled warmly when Eggsy nodded eagerly, looking much like a puppy himself. “And I wouldn’t say he’s well-behaved… It has more to do with laziness.”

He sighed and roll his eyes in mock exasperation, Eggsy chuckling over his dramatics.

They eat their cakes in silence for a while, until Eggsy took a deep breath as if to gather up is courage.

“So… What do you do when you’re not taking a walk in the rain Harry?”

He smiled, delighted to see the young man take the lead before answering.

“I’m a tailor. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Kingsman on Savile row?”

Eggsy shook his head, but his eyes at lighted up in genuine interest, so Harry went on describing the shop and explaining what he would usually do for his work.

They spend their entire afternoon talking uninterrupted, two sleeping dogs at their feet, the gentle pitter-patter of the falling rain against the windows and, at the end, an invitation to a proper dinner date from Harry that was more than readily accepted by Eggsy.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone is curious, there will be some continuation to this eventually, once fearlessjones prompts me a little something :)


End file.
